“A year ago, almost to the day, our community was given the honor to keep safe and memorialize a piece of steel from the World Trade Center. Our vision was to create a place to sit and reflect on the heroes of 9-11, to recognize the changes our country had to make, to be able to pay respect to all those who continue to give us the freedoms, so many of us take for granted.” Community Relations Consultant, Debbie Virga.
The Commack School District will mark the eleventh anniversary of September 11 with the dedication of a permanent 9-11 Memorial.
The memorial is located next to Heroes Memorial Track at Commack High School. A piece of steel from the Twin Towers was acquired last September. The steel now rests atop a granite pedestal, surrounded by walkways inlaid with engraved memorial bricks donated by the community, staff, and others. Four granite benches face the memorial, creating a restful setting to contemplate the sacrifices and bravery of the heroes of 9-11, and the precious lives lost on that tragic day.
Debbie Virga, called the “Heart and Soul” of the project by Commack’s Superintendent of Schools, Donald James wants everyone to know that this project could not have come to fruition without the many people who worked together to make it happen. “This Memorial has received tremendous support from the Commack Board of Education, Dr. James and the Administration, 9-11 Committee, Richie Schramm and the entire facilities department, the community and special recognition and thanks to Guiseppe Abbrancati and the Gappsi Group.”
All are welcome to attend the dedication and annual candlelight ceremony on September 11. The ceremony begins at 6:00 p.m., on the football field at Commack High School. Local and national dignitaries and religious leaders will be in attendance. The Marine Corp League will present a 21 gun salute, and the Commack Fire Department, and Commack Volunteer Ambulance Corp will participate. High School senior Anthony Funcheon will perform his original song, “You’re Not Alone,”.
On August 16, 2012, after a scathing article about a campaign donation solicited by the Bishop for Congress campaign appeared in POLITICO, opponent Randy Altschuler challenged Bishop to call for an ethics investigation. Altschuler stated “I challenge you to publicly call for an official ethics investigation into the activities of you and your staff in regards to the fundraising email solicitation sent to Mr. Semler while his fireworks permits hung in the balance.”
Congressman Tim BishopIt was no surprise that Congressman Bishop declined to do so. What was a surprise wasCouncilman Robert CreightonSmithtown Town Councilman Robert Creighton’s letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics asking them to investigate Congressman Bishop and his staff’s behavior.
“I think it was wrong for Congressman Bishop’s staff to solicit a donation from a constituent Bishop was helping. The law is very clear on this.” Said Creighton after Tuesday’s Town Board meeting. “If you read my letter of August 28 it is spelled out in the last two paragraphs. According to the House Ethics Manual a Member or employee may not accept any contribution that the donor links to any official action that the Member or employee has taken, or is being asked to take.”
According to POLITICO Bishop was helping Mr. Semler get permits for a fireworks display at his home when he was solicited by Bishop’s campaign for a hefty $10,000 campaign donation. Subsequent to the solicitation Bishop’s campaigned received a $5,000 donation and Mr. Semler received his permits.
“I feel very strongly that Bishop’s solicitation was wrong. Fundraising for campaigns is difficult but there are rules. In this case the rules are clear, political solicitations may not be linked with an official action taken or to be taken by a House Member or employee, and a Member may not accept any contribution that is linked with an action that the Member has taken or is being asked to take.” Mr. Bishop was helping the guy get permits; he sends a letter out asking for as much as $10,000 in a campaign donation? That sounds too much like a quid pro quo to me.”
According to Mr. Creighton he has not yet heard back from the Office of Congressional Ethics and he is not sure he will. “I’m not certain this will go anywhere. I don’t know how they handle these things in Washington. Sure, I’ve been asked if this is a political move. It’s not, I am a supporter of Randy Altschuler but that has nothing to do with my writing the letter. There are rules that we must live by and Tim Bishop violated those rules. No, I don’t regret calling for an investigation.”
On September 5, 2012 Altschuler’s campaign once again challenged Bishop, “ I urge you to use your power as a United States Congressman to request that the Office of Congressional Ethics open a formal review of your actions and produce an expedited ruling on their findings……”.
Political or critical you get to decide on November 6, 2012.
(Congressman Bishop could not be reached for comment)
Riverhead, September 4, 2012 – Pointing to his track record as someone who knows how to create jobs, and his stand against the sale of the John J. Foley Nursing Home by Suffolk County, the 6,500-member and 1,800-retiree Suffolk County Association of Municipal Employees (AME) has unanimously endorsed Randy Altschuler in his 1st Congressional District race against incumbent Democrat Tim Bishop.
Following the Independence Party endorsement, this marks the second time Altschuler has won backing from a key group in 2012 that supported Bishop during his razor-thin win in 2010.
“Randy’s willingness to stand up and speak out against the county’s raw deal on the nursing home sale was critical to our membership,” said AME President Dan Farrell. “Beyond that, Randy’s proven track record as an outside-the-beltway job creator makes him uniquely suited to reach across party lines in Washington to fix our economy. At the end of the day, this election is about creating jobs for working families on Long Island and we believe that Randy is the best candidate to make that happen.”
Altschuler said the endorsement was critically important to his campaign, and he deeply appreciated the support shown by AME.
“I am honored to have received this endorsement. If I am fortunate enough to win in November, I will work with common sense people in both parties to revitalize our economy and bring good jobs back to Long Island,” said Altschuler.
The 1960s may have been decades ago, but many who grew up in our town remember those days like they were yesterday.
A young child in the 60s, long-time Commack resident Doreen Murphy fondly remembers the blue collar neighborhood she grew up in. She said many residents left behind their families in the boroughs of New York City in order to find new and affordable housing. Murphy’s parents and neighbors would work together and help each other out to plant trees and develop the neighborhood.
While Murphy was too young to go to the local hangouts, she would wish she were older so she could go to places like Carmela’s for pizza with the teenagers. Murphy said Carmella’s was at the spot where Emilio’s Restaurant is now located on Jericho Turnpike. After pizza many of the kids would head down the road to the bowling alley which still stands today.
photo courtesy of Kings Park Heritage MuseumAnother popular spot was the Long Island Arena located where we now find the King Kullen Plaza. Murphy said as a child she attended a rodeo, circus and wrestling match at the arena that was home to the then Long Island Ducks hockey team.
“It was such a fun place to be and on Friday nights they had ice skating when the Long Island Ducks played hockey there. All the youth of Commack went there for the weekend events. We loved it,” said Murphy.
In the Hauppauge section of Smithtown, Ronald Sage was a teenager living right off of Brooksite Drive during the 1960s. When he attended high school, he was in the building that we now know as Hauppauge Middle School. The Hauppauge High School building wasn’t built until 1968.
Sage remembers when he could walk down Route 111 and would barely see a store except for Robert Hall. The clothing store once stood where Branchinelli’s is today near Townline Road. Back then after school the teenagers would grab pizza and a soda at an Italian restaurant called Caligiuri’s Triangle located at the intersection of Routes 111 and 347.
The long-time Smithtown resident said many times during his school days he and his friends would leave the building for lunch and go to the general store that was next to Hauppauge United Methodist Church. Here the butcher would cut meat for fresh sandwiches, and Sage would buy penny candy. If he and his friends had some extra time, they would take a brisk walk to the intersection of 347 and 454 to get hamburgers at Hubie’s. The establishment was where Chemex Pool Supply is today, and for 25 cents Sage and his friends could get two hamburgers for lunch.
In the summer, Long Beach or Little Africa, now Otto Schubert Beach, was the place to be. Sage remembers the bus that would run along Brooksite Drive during the summer and stop at each of the lanes. The Smithtown bus would start about 8:00 a.m. to pick up kids to go for swimming lessons and would return about noon. The bus would then pick up people for the beach around 1:00 p.m. and would leave around 4:00 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. giving everyone a few hours of beach time.
Kenny Rogers grew up in the 60s on Brook Lane down the street from Sage and remembers running around Smithtown playing sports and hanging out as a kid. Rogers said, “I was never home.”
In the warmer weather Rogers, his brother and a couple of friends would head over to the fields by Sweetbriar Elementary School and play baseball. The Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle is located on this spot today.
Maple Avenue Park, which is now Brady Park, was a favorite spot of Rogers to play basketball and softball. He said one day he was playing ball with another local guy, and Rogers couldn’t hit one ball that he pitched. That child, John Curtis, left Smithtown to play professional baseball in the 70s and early 80s.
Living on one of the dead end streets off of Brooksite Drive meant Rogers had easy access to the Weld family property which is now Blydenburgh Park. He and his friends could spend the whole day there swimming in Stump Pond and throwing stones across the body of water. He still remembers one friend throwing a stone from the Smithtown side of the pond to the Hauppauge side.
A playground in the winter time for Rogers and his friends was Miller’s Pond where they would ice skate all day. The former Smithtown resident said he would go in the morning, walk back home for lunch and then go back and skate a few hours more before dinner. He said the pond in the winter would be rock solid, and he doesn’t remember anyone ever falling into the ice.
When it came to grabbing a bite to eat with friends, Flo’s Diner was a favorite spot for hamburgers, fries and ice cream sundaes. Rogers described the diner that was once located on the corner of Main Street and Brooksite Drive as a “neat place”. Sometimes the kids would also head over to the Howard Johnson’s that once stood where we now find Capital One Bank in the Branch Shopping Center.
Rogers who now lives in Florida with his wife Nancy said they talk about growing up on Long Island often. He sums up his younger years “as a blessing from God to be a kid on Long Island.”
Paul Micciche also has great memories of the 60s. An elementary school and then junior high school student in the decade, he grew up on Harvard Avenue surrounded by relatives who lived on the same street. Each year the area that his parents would let him wander in Smithtown expanded until he could walk between New York Avenue and Maple Avenue. He was even able to head up to Main Street as long as he stayed on the south side between the two streets.
While that may have been a small area of town, Micciche said, “We had everything we needed.”
Maple Avenue Park and Miller’s Pond were in easy walking distance for Micciche and his cousins. Every night in the summer they would play baseball or softball in the park and in the winter they would ice skate on the pond.
According to Micciche, on Main Street near the corner of New York Avenue there was the Town Hall Deli where he and his friends would buy a pack of baseball cards for five cents. Next to the deli they would visit Brown’s Music Store where instruments were sold, and Micciche said while he and his friends never bought one, they would admire them and dream of one day becoming a musician.
Slightly east of Maple Avenue on Main Street was Blue Jay Supermarket. He said for the longest time it was photo credit - Smithtown Historical Societythe place to go to buy groceries in Smithtown. In the late 60s when the Branch Shopping Center and Smith Haven Mall came along, the store fronts on the west end of Main Street began to empty out.
In the late 60s Micciche was attending junior high school in the building on New York Avenue and Main Street where the Smithtown school district’s administrative offices are today. He said at the time the local draft board was located on the southeast corner of Main Street and New York Avenue.
The draft board represented the reality of the late 60s where young men were being drafted for the Vietnam War. On his way to school in the morning Micciche would see boys lined up to sign up for the draft.
He said, “I remember mothers crying in the morning.”
But despite the realities of life, Smithtown still possessed so many great times for Micciche. He discovered his love for fishing going to Stump Pond on the Weld family’s estate. He also would bring his fishing rod over to Friede’s Riverside Inn where Paul T. Given Park is today. One day the restaurant’s chef began to yell at him and his friend as they were fishing in little streams by the river. They were surprised to find out they were catching the chef’s pet carp and goldfish.
There was also the Smithtown Drive-In which was once located on Middle County Road near the corner of photo - Smithtown Historical SocietyRoute 347. Micciche would go with his family to see a movie and remembers sitting on the hood of the car, leaning back on the windshield and enjoying the movie in the fresh air.
Micciche said, “The 60s were a good time to grow up.”
The memories of Micciche, Rogers, Sage and Murphy are only a sampling of the good times in Smithtown in the 1960s. If you were fortunate to grow up in our town during that time, leave your favorite memories in the comment section below.
Heavy equipment, yellow tape, fencing and piles of debris are an indication that something is happening at the Nissequogue River State Park (NRSP). “The scheduled demolition of structures has begun and is going well. National Salvage & Service Corporation has been very responsible in the way they are handling the demolition.” Stated NRSP Director, Sean Cruickshank.
Sean explained that the demolition is going smoothly but there is a lot of work to do. In addition to the demolition, some of the buildings contain asbestos, which needs to be removed prior to the building being demolished. The smoke Stack, the train columns, fuel tanks and underground tunnels all present different challenges.
For the most part the structures being removed were condemned by the state due to their deteriorated condition. Many have roofs that have been collapsed for several years and in some cases a decade. Building 122, built in the early 1900’s, is a multilevel building with damage at all levels creating an unstable and dangerous environment. Building 123, which housed a kitchen and dining area, has its entrance blocked by the collapse of the roof and part of the structure itself.
The $6.4 million dollar project is being funded with a $25 million dollar appropriation secured by Senator John Flanagan in 2006. Senator Flanagan stated on April 13, 2006 – “Open space preservation is vital to our entire region and this funding will allow more of our land to be left for parkland and community use. This is a great win for the Kings Park community, a great win for the Town of Smithtown and a great day for the State of New York…Due to the efforts of the community, the future of this site will be the future that the people of Kings Park and Long Island deserve.”
If there is one message that Sean wants people to know it is that the area is a work site. “At the beginning of the demolition people showed up to see what was happening. That has slowed down some, which is a good thing when there is so much happening. People need to be aware that the site, even though it is fenced and there are barriers and warnings, is a construction site and that alone can be dangerous.” Said Sean.
It is almost unanimous that the demolition is going to vastly improve the NRSP. But not everyone is sure. Native born Kings Park resident, Larry Flynn, is not very happy with the proposed demolition of the boathouse. “That building holds Kings Park’s history of boating. We have the funding to save the boathouse and have it moved. We just can’t get anyone at the state to listen to us.” The boathouse is scheduled to be removed as part of the demolition and may have some structural problems. According to Sean, “the boathouse is not as structurally sound as some may think. The selection of the structures for demolition was done with consideration to the viability of the buildings as well as the vision for the park’s future.” For now, the boathouse is sitting where it has sat for the past hundred years, overlooking the marina.
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Sunday, September 9, 2012 at 11:20PM 
“A year ago, almost to the day, our community was given the honor to keep safe and memorialize a piece of steel from the World Trade Center. Our vision was to create a place to sit and reflect on the heroes of 9-11, to recognize the changes our country had to make, to be able to pay respect to all those who continue to give us the freedoms, so many of us take for granted.” Community Relations Consultant, Debbie Virga.;)
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